Written Answers Monday 18 July 2005

Scottish Executive

Cities

Mr Brian Monteith (Mid Scotland and Fife) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive how it defines "business crime" in relation to the Safe City Centres Initiative.

Cathy Jamieson: The recorded crime statistics collected centrally do not distinguish crimes against businesses. The Executive’s definition of "business crime" is "all crime and disorder committed by or against business and this includes retail crime". This mirrors the definition used by the Home Office in their Crime Reduction Toolkit for Business and Retail Crime. However, the Safe City Centres Initiative is not exclusively about reducing business crime. It is also about tackling quality of life issues such as graffiti, fly-posting, vandalism and antisocial behaviour, all of which can have a detrimental effect on those who work, live and visit our city and town centres.

Cities

Mr Brian Monteith (Mid Scotland and Fife) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive how many business crimes were committed in Stirling in (a) each year since and (b) the five years prior to the commencement of the Safe City Centres Initiative.

Mr Brian Monteith (Mid Scotland and Fife) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive how many business crimes were committed in (a) Aberdeen, (b) Dundee, (c) Edinburgh, (d) Glasgow and (e) Perth in (i) each year since and (ii) the five years prior to the commencement of the Safe City Centres Initiative.

Cathy Jamieson: The recorded crime statistics collected centrally do not distinguish crimes against businesses. Research into business crime across Scotland was undertaken and published in 1999 ( Counting the Cost – Crime Against Business in Scotland . Bib. number 3925). However, the figures in the report are based on self-reporting of crime incidents, not police statistics and cannot be broken down by city as requested.

Cities

Mr Brian Monteith (Mid Scotland and Fife) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive how much funding will be allocated to each of the pilot cities in the Safe City Centres Initiative in the remaining years in which the scheme will operate.

Cathy Jamieson: The Safe City Centres Initiative is a three year pilot programme which started in 2003-04 and concludes in the current financial year 2005-06.

  I refer the member to the answer to question S2W-17461 on 12 July 2005. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament’s website, the search facility for which can be found at http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/webapp/wa.search.

Justice

Stewart Stevenson (Banff and Buchan) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what assessment it has made of the (a) error rate and (b) durability of (i) fingerprint identification, (ii) retina identification and (iii) facial mapping and what assessment has been made of the effects of (1) age and (2) seasonal work on the accuracy of fingerprint identification.

Cathy Jamieson: The Scottish Fingerprint Service (SFS) and the Police Information Technology Organisation (PITO) have carried out and continue to carry out assessments of fingerprint identification techniques.

  A benchmarking exercise on two Automatic Fingerprint Recognition systems was carried out by the SFS and PITO in 2004. Both systems recorded a 98.5% accuracy rate. The quality of a fingerprint mark is at its best between the ages of 16 and 50, and it is recognised that occupational or leisure activities can scar the fingers to the extent that a detrimental effect on accuracy can result for some people.

  Work on developing iris (rather than retina) and facial recognition systems has been carried out by the United Kingdom Passport Service (UKPS) and PITO. Data about fingerprint, iris and facial identification accuracy, which is specific to the UKPS work, is included in the UKPS Biometrics Enrolment Trial Report. This is available at:

  http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/docs4/UKPS_Biometrics_Enrolment_Trial_Report.pdf.

Prison Service

Stewart Stevenson (Banff and Buchan) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive who generally undertakes transport of prisoners between Scotland and (a) Northern Ireland, (b) The Republic of Ireland, (c) other countries of the European Union and (d) countries or territories outwith the European Union and on how many occasions such transport has been undertaken since 1999.

Cathy Jamieson: I have asked Tony Cameron, Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service (SPS) to respond. His response is as follows:

  The transfer of prisoners from Scotland to Northern Ireland is undertaken by Reliance Custodial Services. The Northern Ireland Prison Service is responsible for the transfer of prisoners to Scotland. 12 prisoners have transferred from Scotland and six prisoners from Northern Ireland since 1 April 2000. Records are not available prior to this.

  The transfer of prisoners between Scotland and countries outwith the UK is the responsibility of the receiving jurisdiction, and is undertaken by SPS for prisoners returning to Scotland. Two prisoners have transferred from Scotland and five prisoners have been transferred to Scotland since 1999.

Prison Service

Stewart Stevenson (Banff and Buchan) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it considers that it is legally obliged to allow prisoners to marry at a location other than in a prison.

Cathy Jamieson: I have asked Tony Cameron, Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service (SPS) to respond. His response is as follows:

  No. The location of any wedding involving a serving prisoner is subject to SPS approval.

Prison Service

Stewart Stevenson (Banff and Buchan) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how many prison officers and prisoner custody officers employed in Scotland by (a) the Scottish Prison Service and (b) Reliance failed their most recent annual fitness test and what proportion of those engaged in these roles by their respective employers they represent.

Cathy Jamieson: I have asked Tony Cameron, Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service to respond. His response is as follows:

  (a) Of an eligible operational complement of 1,034, seven (0.67%) failed a fitness test in the past year.

  (b) We do not hold such information.

Prisoner Escorts

Stewart Stevenson (Banff and Buchan) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what information it has on how many people employed by Reliance as prisoner custody officers in Scotland have been subject to action in relation to their discipline or behaviour.

Cathy Jamieson: I have asked Tony Cameron, Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service (SPS) to respond. His response is as follows:

  The SPS does not hold this information as staffing discipline is a matter for Reliance Custodial Services Ltd.

Prisoner Escorts

Stewart Stevenson (Banff and Buchan) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how many requests to Disclosure Scotland for clearance have been made by Reliance.

Cathy Jamieson: Between 29 April 2002 and 11 July 2005 Disclosure Scotland processed 1,342 criminal record checks for Reliance.

Sport

Alex Neil (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether any research has been carried out into the extent of any direct benefit to Scotland if London is successful in its bid to host the 2012 Olympic Games.

Patricia Ferguson: No such research has been carried out by the Scottish Executive. But now that London has been awarded the rights to stage the Olympic Games and Paralympic Games in 2012, we will review our plans for ensuring that Scotland is as well positioned as it can be to realise the potential business, tourism, sporting and cultural benefits which will arise.

Sport

Alex Neil (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what evidence it has that the "Scottish tourism sector in particular would expect to benefit" from a successful London bid to host the 2012 Olympic Games, as stated by the Minister for Tourism, Culture and Sport in an Executive news release on 22 June 2005.

Patricia Ferguson: Experience from other Olympic Games, for example those held in Sydney, shows clearly that the games bring significant benefits to tourism in all areas of the host country. Scotland stands to benefit from the raised tourism profile which the UK as a whole will enjoy from the staging of the Olympic Games in London.

  More specifically, Scotland will also benefit from visitors coming here to see the part of the Olympic football tournament which is intended to be held at Hampden Park. There will also be opportunities to encourage competing nations to base training camps in Scotland in the run-up to the Olympics.

Sport

Alex Neil (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how much additional growth it expects to accrue to the Scottish economy if London is successful in its bid to host the 2012 Olympic Games.

Patricia Ferguson: The Scottish Executive has not made any estimates of this but with London now confirmed as the host city for these games, we will work with all relevant parties to maximise the potential benefits to Scotland.

Sport

Alex Neil (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what specific benefit to Scottish sport it anticipates if London is successful in its bid to host the 2012 Olympic Games.

Patricia Ferguson: The 2012 Olympic Games and Paralympic Games in London will be an inspiration to our young athletes to develop their potential with the goal of competing for Team GB under home conditions, in front of home spectators, in the best facilities for training and competition.

  The London Games will be a focal point and a benchmark for talented athletes, coaches, governing bodies and others involved in performance sport in Scotland and throughout the UK for many years. But they will also inspire people of all ages and abilities to participate in and enjoy sport.

  Other benefits for sport will include an upgrading of the UK’s stock of facilities for training and competition; and the opportunity to stage major events pre- and post-Games In addition, football supporters and others in Scotland will have the opportunity to see matches in the Olympic football tournament played at Hampden Park.

Sport

Alex Neil (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what its reasons are for backing the London bid to host the 2012 Olympic Games and when it reached the decision to do so.

Patricia Ferguson: The Executive gave its support to the London bid to host the 2012 Olympic Games and Paralympic Games because we believe that staging the world’s biggest and most prestigious sporting event in the UK – which could feasibly only be staged in London - will give an enormous boost to sport throughout the UK. We also recognise that the London Games will have potential benefits for Scotland in terms of business, tourism, cultural and educational opportunities, which we will seek to maximise.

  The First Minister wrote to Barbara Cassani, the then Chairman of London 2012 Ltd, in November 2003 to express the Scottish Executive’s support for London’s bid.

Young Offenders

Rosie Kane (Glasgow) (SSP): To ask the Scottish Executive what percentage of young offenders currently in custody have other charges outstanding.

Cathy Jamieson: I have asked Tony Cameron, Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service to respond. His response is as follows:

  We do not collect this information.

Young Offenders

Rosie Kane (Glasgow) (SSP): To ask the Scottish Executive how many young offenders were subject to "gate arrest" last year due to outstanding charges.

Cathy Jamieson: I have asked Tony Cameron, Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service to respond. His response is as follows:

  Eleven young offenders were subject to "gate arrest" due to outstanding charges from 1 April 2004 to 31 March 2005.